


Until The Last Voice Falls Silent

by Elveny, Kunstpause



Series: Cut From The Same Cloth [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blood Magic (Dragon Age), Gen, Graphic Violence, Physical Abuse, Quest Best Served Cold, Torture, mention of sexual abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:14:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26524291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elveny/pseuds/Elveny, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunstpause/pseuds/Kunstpause
Summary: After the Arishok fight, Adriene Hawke is brought home to heal. But a certain revengeful templar has other plans...
Series: Cut From The Same Cloth [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1672684
Kudos: 6





	Until The Last Voice Falls Silent

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Into The Abyss](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26336680) by [Elveny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elveny/pseuds/Elveny), [Kunstpause](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunstpause/pseuds/Kunstpause). 



> This work covers what happens to Adriene in the time after the Arishok fight and before the group finds her and Alain at the Wounded Coast - with [Chapter 30 of The Mind Lies](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23497735/chapters/63434080) between _The Wounded Coast_ and _Alain_.

When Anders had left with a promise to return as soon as possible that she knew he wouldn’t be able to keep, Adriene had pulled an armchair to her window and sat down, wrapped in a blanket to look out into the too-bright night. The sky was still flickering red and orange with the flames from Lowtown, clouds hanging dark and heavy over the city. From everywhere, she could hear people run and shout, the clank of armored patrols running through the street; probably making sure that the last Qunari truly left the city and that looters didn’t overtake Hightown. Anders had given her clear instructions not to move too much and rest, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Not tonight.

Not while the city burned, and people died.

Not while Cassia was in the Gallows in a desperate try to talk herself out of Tranquility.

Her chest seemed too tight to properly breathe as she looked out across the city. Adriene wasn’t sure if it was from the bandages crossing her torso beneath the loose tunic she wore, trying to keep her intestines where they were supposed to be, or from the knowledge that across the flame-lit waters where the slave statues loomed, her sister was fighting for her life, for her self. And that she couldn’t do a single damned thing to help her.

Thanks to Anders’ magic and several potions, the terrible wound the Arishok had inflicted was no longer bleeding, but she could feel the pain even through the haze of powerful potions, a permanent burning through her whole body. Adriene only had a vague idea how healing magic worked, but she knew two things for certain: one, that Anders had just saved her life, and two, that she was far from being properly _healed_. He had stopped the bleeding, and while he had worked, she had _felt_ something inside her knitting itself together again. She was pretty sure she had screamed at that point, but her memory was hazy at best. Now, her body was wracked with exhaustion, every movement sending a new bout of dull, red pain through her. It wasn’t just the wound where the Arishok had impaled her, there were bruises and cuts all over her body, making her skin shine in all colors of the rainbow. Most of the cuts had scabbed over or even closed during the merciless healing process, but she knew from experience that it would take a while until her nerves would stop screaming at every touch. Her skin was dotted with sweatdrops, her hands shaking slightly as she dipped a piece of bread into the broth on her windowsill. Anders had brought her food to replenish the energy her body had exhausted, coaxed by the magic to start the healing process.

Leaning her head back, Adriene stared out of the window, eyes burning with unshed tears as she forced the bread down. He had told her it would take a week at least until she would be able to move akin to something like normal, much longer until she was actually healed, and the scars would never fade. Not that she cared about this right now. Healing would be irrelevant if she found herself without her twin in the next few hours.

Desperately, she clung to the faint thread deep inside her, to that bond they shared. She would feel if something happened, wouldn’t she? She had even felt that something was wrong in the Deep Roads, so it stood only to reason that she would feel if Cassia was…

Adriene forced a shuddering breath in, unable to complete the thought.

If only she could do something to distract herself, to keep herself busy while she waited for the morning. While she waited for the news from the Gallows. But with her wounds, she wasn’t even able to stand watch over Maia or help Anders in the clinic or go through the streets to help the people of Kirkwall. All she could do was—

Her thoughts were forcefully interrupted by a loud crash from downstairs, immediately followed by the sounds of heavy footsteps. Adriene winced in shocked surprise, the movement making her gasp in pain.

“Find her!”

The voice boomed through the house, and she could hear doors being ripped open, footsteps on the stairs. Adriene reacted without thinking. With a pained sound, she heaved herself out of the armchair. Someone was coming for her. It didn’t matter who it was — Qunari trying to finish what the Arishok couldn’t, templars, slavers — all she knew was that everything inside her screamed _danger_. Her heart beat hard in her chest, adrenaline pumping through her as she stumbled over to where her armor and bloody clothes lay in a heap on the floor, grabbing one of her knives. Even that short distance had her panting and she had to support herself on the bed with one hand as she faced the door, closing her fingers tightly around the knife.

Not that it mattered.

The second the door to her room flew open, she knew it was over.

“There you are,” Knight-Corporal Linus said with a sneer in his voice. He hadn’t bothered with a helmet this time and she could see him bare his teeth in a satisfied smile. The blood-red flaming sword on his breastplate seemed to actually burn in the flickering light coming in through the window.

“What do you want?” Adriene spat, but he ignored her.

“I found her,” he yelled over his shoulder. A few seconds later, another templar appeared behind Linus. Linus tilted his head, the smile widening as he took a step into the room. “Look at that, she is actually trying to resist arrest again. Knife in her hand and all. You see it too, right?” he asked his fellow templar who grunted his agreement.

Adriene felt cold fear run down her spine, but she refused to let go of the knife. “You cannot arrest me,” she said, her voice shakier than she would have liked it to be.

Linus only chuckled. “And why is that?” he asked mockingly. “Because you’re Champion now? The Viscount is dead, remember? Your new title means _nothing_ under the Knight-Commander’s rule.” He took another step towards her, raising his sword. Adriene could see the blue flames start to flicker over the hard, cold steel, and her hand started to shake so bad that she had trouble holding the knife. “But what means something under the Knight-Commander’s rule is that you have hidden an apostate for years. That you have lied in an official interrogation. That you have worked with the Knight-Captain against the Templar Order.” With a hissing sound, the sword went up in blue flames. “Guess what, _Champion_? All of it is punishable by death.”

The next second, the Smite hit her with full force, and her world exploded in bright, searing pain as it burned every remnant of Anders’ healing magic and the potions out of her.

Adriene wasn’t quite sure whether she had actually been able to scream, but she found herself on the floor, tears running down her face as she gasped for air. She could feel several of her wounds reopening, but before she could do anything else, someone grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her up onto her knees again.

Her pained scream got drowned by the health potion forced into her mouth and down her throat, and she coughed and gagged as she swallowed.

“Another,” she heard Linus’ hard voice as she blinked through the haze in front of her eyes. “We really don’t want her to die here. Not yet.” Another potion was poured into her mouth, its effects burning through her body. Adriene swallowed desperately as she tried in vain to get the hands out of her hair, panic welling up in her at her lack of strength. The second templar caught her hands and fastened the cuffs around her wrists while she was still coughing and gasping, unable to fend them off. Linus brought his face close to hers, his breath hot at her ear as he told her, “I’m not done with you yet. Didn’t you promise me you’d show me the kind of magic you have? I’d say the potions count as dinner. And we have all night before they hang you.”

“No,” Adriene gasped. Her whole body was shaking as an old fear grabbed her in its ice-cold clutches, but Linus’ only tightened his grip in her hair, pulling her head back sharply until she looked into his face.

“Oh, yes.” A cold grin was on his lips. “Pity that getting out of armor is such a hassle or I would take a sample right now before taking you to the Gallows. But don’t worry, Champion. Once we’re there…” Without forewarning, he let go of her hair and grabbed her chin to slathered his mouth over hers, pushing his tongue between her lips. Adriene’s whole body locked up at the sensation, too shocked for a moment to react. The next second, she bit down so hard that she felt a gush of hot blood in her mouth, Linus’ outraged scream of pain vibrating against her lips.

She let him go in an instant again, spewing his blood into his face as he stumbled backward with a groan, holding his mouth. “You’ll see what it’ll get you,” she spat at him, feeling a trickle of his blood run down her chin.

With a roar of outrage, Linus came at her, but before he could reach her, the other templar held him back. “Stop it, Linus!” He threw her a disgusted look before he added, “You can punish her later.”

“Fuck,” Linus cursed, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth and spitting more blood on the floor. She could see a vein at his neck pulse violently, his eyes dark with rage as he pointed a finger at her. “You’ll regret this, bitch. I’ll make you pay.”

“You can try,” Adriene hissed, hiding the black fear inside her behind bravado.

“I’ll do more than try, you’ll see,” the Knight-Corporal said darkly, then he pushed his fellow templar aside and grabbed her harshly at the arm to pull her up, ignoring the sound of pain as she stumbled to her feet. “Let’s go.”

The way to the Gallows was like walking through a thick fog. Adriene was vaguely aware that they were passing several burning buildings as the templars dragged her through Lowtown towards the harbor. Nobody seemed to particularly care about a random prisoner being brought in chains through the city; not in all this chaos.

She managed to stay conscious despite the pain running in waves through her. They had given her yet another potion, and she could feel her body working with burning intensity, sapping what little energy and strength she had left to heal her injuries. It didn’t help that she immediately threw up what food she had managed to eat once they were on the ferry to the Gallows. She had no resistance to the seasickness grabbing her as soon as the ground started to sway.

“Maker damn you,” the templar cursed in disgust, wiping the vomit from his robes from where it had hit him, but Adriene felt too horrible to be able to muster any kind of response. A wave made the boat heave, and immediately, she started to gag again, but a strong hand clasped around her neck, pushing her upper body forcefully forward and over the rail.

“Not in here, bitch,” Linus growled.

The way the rail pressed directly into her stomach made it lurch and twist, and she heaved until hot tears ran over her face and nothing else would come up. Still, she was held down, trembles running over her body. Adriene could feel her last bit of strength fading quickly. Already, she was barely able to form a coherent thought, black dots dancing in front of her eyes. 

A low thud went through the boat as it came to a stop, and a hand pulled her up again. With a groan, she slumped down, blinking up against the huge statues upon which the flames from across the waters danced. The next second, she lost consciousness.

“Wakey, wakey, bitch!”

A splash of cold water made Adriene sputter, violently jerking awake again. Blinking the water out of her eyes, she looked around in confusion. It took her a moment to understand what she saw and felt. The pain in her body was still there, but somewhat muted, not as sharp as earlier. Her clothes were completely drenched, clinging coldly to her skin she tried to move. Her hands were chained over her head to the wall, a batch of dirty straw in one corner of the dark room. Otherwise, the floor was empty, just dirty stones. A prison cell.

Linus stood in front of her with a dark grin on his face. He held an empty bucket in his hand that he threw to the side where it clattered against the wall. Only now did Adriene realize that he was no longer wearing his armor. _Oh no._

“Nobody should say we’re not gracious hosts,” he said, not taking his eyes off her. “Took care of your wounds, after all. See, we even cleaned you up!”

Adriene did not answer him, just pushed herself up into a more upright position, her back against the cold wall, staring past him. A hollow, biting feeling was in her stomach, her body demanding nourishment after the ordeal of healing. Her thoughts and emotions were a jumbled mess, defiance, cold terror, and an old, well-known defeated acceptance fighting with each other. She didn’t want to stop fighting, and a part of her was absolutely terrified of what she knew would happen next, wanted to do everything to prevent it. But another part of her was just so very _tired_. What was she to do anyway?

Cassia was either Tranquil, dead, or a Circle mage. The one thing she had been raised to prevent had happened, and she had been unable to stop it.

She herself was chained and weak, scheduled to die anyway. There would be no talking herself out of the situation this time, she knew. And nobody would come to get her… nobody even knew she was here.

She was alone.

Turning around, Linus grabbed something from a table outside the cell, then came towards her. It took her a moment to understand what he had in his hand. A tray with food; bread, meat, cheese. Confused, she blinked, uncertain what to think as he cowered down next to her, pushing a piece of bread towards her mouth.

“Eat,” he said curtly.

Adriene just stared at him, her thoughts still somewhat muddled. What exactly did he expect her to do? For all she knew, he had laced the food with something.

Linus clearly had no patience, grabbing her chin again and pressing the food against her lips as he tried to force them open.

“I said _eat_!” he growled, stuffing the bread into her mouth. “All those potions, you have to be starving. And I have plans for you, I don’t want you to burn out before.” A nasty look came onto his face as he added, “I’m pretty sure the Knight-Lieutenant has a few things to say to you as well, and you have to be conscious for that. Also, I want to see the look on your face when I fuck you.”

Adriene sucked a panicked breath in through the nose, yanking at the chains as she instinctively tried to get away from him. But he just chuckled, her hand closed firmly over her mouth to keep her from spitting out the food.

“Yes, just like that,” he leered as he saw her wide panicked eyes. For a moment, a look of utter greed was on his face, then his eyes narrowed again. “Now, _eat_!”

He forced the whole plate down her throat, followed by water that half sloshed over her chin. By the time she was done, her wrists were sore from pulling at the chains, and her jaw hurt from his grip. But the hollow ache in her stomach had indeed stopped, her body greedily welcoming the nourishment it so craved, and the trembling of her muscles had stopped.

Linus pushed the tray aside, nodding contentedly. “See, isn’t it easier if you just do what I say?” he asked.

There was something about the way he spoke, something in his voice and eyes that was eerily familiar, and Adriene felt thrown back in time. Her eyes went dark in horror as she remembered another voice, another man saying the same things. _Just do what I say, and I won’t have to hurt you! Not my fault you’re being such a bitch._

Her breath got shallow as she stared at a point past the man in front of her. It didn’t really matter whether it was Tellon or Linus saying these things. The outcome was always the same. And fighting was no use.

And still, she did.

It was painful to move and yet, she tried with all she had, kicking and biting, refusing to let him just _take_ what he wanted — until he grabbed her by the throat and smashed her back against the wall with enough force to take her breath away and she sagged down, fighting to stay conscious.

"Got it out of your system? Good." Linus chuckled, unbothered by her tries to fight. "I'm gonna teach you to hold still, don't you worry," he said, a satisfied look on his face as he saw that she had spent what little strength she had left.

A calloused hand was running over her, feeling the curves of her body, prodding and probing. Linus knelt next to her, a greedy look on his face as he fondled her. Adriene took in a wheezing breath as she let her head sink back against the wall, blinking tears away. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry as Linus started to peel her tunic up, her skin still screaming at every touch. It was only now that she realized she no longer wore the bandages Anders had wrapped around her. She swallowed hard against the bile that suddenly rose at the thought of him having had his hands on her already without her even noticing.

Just as he closed his hand around her bared breast, loud footsteps came down the hall, accompanied by the clank of armor.

Annoyed, Linus let go of her and sank back on his heels. “I said I’m not to be disturbed!” he yelled, yanking her tunic back down. Adriene started to pull at the chains again, letting out a breath of relief. Maybe it would be one of Cullen’s people, maybe someone had notified him, maybe it was one of their contacts, maybe… 

But it was Oswald.

The slight flicker of hope inside her died immediately again. But then, she saw the look of utter fury on his face. For a moment, Adriene was completely confused, then a rush of relief went through her. If Oswald was this furious, his plan hadn’t worked. And Cassia was safe from him — for now. It had not been for naught. The thought brought back a spark of her usual sass and she pulled herself a bit more upright, biting back a pained groan. 

“Knight-Lieutenant,” Linus spluttered, back on his feet in an instant.

“Linus,” Oswald spat. “What is this?!” He looked uncaring over Adriene’s disheveled form.

“I…” Linus seemed taken aback and he looked from Adriene to Oswald. “I just followed protocol, Knight-Lieutenant. I brought her in for harboring an apostate. I thought it was—”

“You utter fool,” Oswald interrupted him from between clenched teeth. “The plan was to wait and see how things go. This could ruin everything!” His eyes were cold as he bellowed, “Where’s your armor?”

The question took Linus obviously off guard. “I’m off duty, Knight-Lieutenant, and I was just… checking… on…”

Oswald interrupted him with a sharp gesture. “Well, you took too long, time’s up. Go get your armor, you’re back on duty. Then you will take the _Champion_ back to her home. You will fix this, is that understood?!”

“But…” Linus said, but Oswald chased him out with a shouted, “NOW!” Linus scampered out of the cell, but Oswald ignored him, focusing his eyes on Adriene who met his gaze with a slow smile.

“Did your plan not work as intended, Knight-Lieutenant?” she asked cheekily.

The man took a few steps inside the cell, his hand tightening around his sword. “I don’t know how you managed it, but believe me, Hawke, you will regret ever intervening,” he hissed. “It’s a nice tale you spun, with your sister the poor victim of her Maker-defying twin, and the Knight-Captain working ever so efficiently against the mage underground. When we all know that that is far from the truth.”

Adriene laughed, ignoring the sting of pain. “Do we now?” she asked and shrugged. “Well, as long as the Knight-Commander believes it to be the truth, it doesn’t really matter what ‘we’ know, does it?”

“You forget one thing, Hawke,” Oswald sneered. “Now that we have it officially on record that you oppose the templars and tried to prevent a mage from joining the Circle, you have made yourself…”

“A target? Oh please,” Adriene interrupted him with a scoff. She just wished she could stand up to face him head-on, but the way the chains were fastened made it impossible. “You are reaching.”

Oswald wasn’t even fazed and just shook his head. The sneer had disappeared from his face, replaced by an open, gleeful smile that sent an icy shiver down Adriene’s back.

“Oh no. Not a target. _That_ you were from the moment you went off the rails in the Gallows years ago.” He came closer, grabbing her by the shirt with a painful yank. “No. You’ve made yourself _expendable_.”

Shoving her back against the wall, he said dismissively, “You know, I would have been content to have the post of Knight-Captain and your sister in the Circle. You could have even taken care of your niece. But now, I will have to settle for something more basic. _Revenge._ And believe me, I will get it, one way or the other.”

He walked back out of the cell just as Linus came back, still fumbling with the buckles of his armor, a look of barely contained fury in his eyes.

“Fix this,” Oswald hissed at Linus again, then he left.

A cold shiver ran over Adriene’s body as she was alone with Linus again. The man came towards her with a look in his eyes she couldn’t quite interpret. He grabbed her chin in his hand, yanking it upwards. Adriene bit back a sound of pain.

“I’m not done with you,” he said in a low, threatening voice. “And I will find a way to make you pay for all of this, believe me.” He let go of her face and started to unlock the chains, clearly still angry.

“Ser Linus?”

The voice made them both jump, and Linus turned around with one hand on his sword, the other on the chain that still held Adriene’s arms up. In the door of the cell stood a woman in mage robes, holding up her hands in a soothing gesture. She had dark hair and tattoos covered a side of her face, but what stood out most about her was the calculating, absolutely fearless look in her eyes.

“What are you doing here, mage? It’s past curfew, you should be in your room,” Linus barked, but the mage only smiled cooly.

“I couldn’t help but overhear, ser,” she said. “And I think we can help each other.”

Linus scoffed. “I doubt that.”

The mage’s smile widened. “Don’t you want to keep her for yourself?” she asked innocently.

Adriene sucked in a sharp breath at the casualty with which the woman spoke, her eyes widening. What the Blight was going on?!

The mage barely spared her a glance, but she slowly came into the cell towards Linus. “If you help me and my friends out of the Circle, I can deliver her to you.”

For a second, Linus didn’t say anything, but a frown was on his face. “I already have her, why would I possibly free some mages on top of it?”

That cool smile was still on the woman’s lips as she said, “But didn’t I just hear the Knight-Lieutenant order you to bring her back home? If you help me, you won’t have to. And didn’t the mage sister make you all look like fools when she tricksted her way out of your investigation? You could get your revenge and keep her for yourself.” She glanced at Adriene who shook her head in silent horror. “Forever,” she added.

Linus followed the mage’s eyes to Adriene, wandering up and down her body with a hint of greed.

“No!” Adriene exclaimed, shaking her head furiously, “no, you ca—”

A sharp slap in her face interrupted her, and the next moment, a gag was pushed into her mouth.

“How?” he asked then.

“We pose as the mage underground and take her to the Wounded Coast where we await her sister, using this one as bait.” She tilted her head, her voice getting low and seductive as she concentrated fully on Linus. “Once the mage comes, I kill her. Just imagine what it would mean for the templars if both Champions were killed by the mage underground. Nobody would question your authority anymore, your error in judgement tonight would be irrelevant.”

“Both are killed?” Linus frowned.

The mage saw her error immediately and shook her head. “Seemingly,” she quickly assured him. “I kill the sister, you take this one home, telling everybody she is dead. Nobody would care to look for a missing body.”

“Hm,” Linus made, looking back to Adriene.

The mage sensed that she had won him over. “All you have to do is help us get out of the Gallows and to the Wounded Coast. And the rest will fall into place.”

For a tense moment, nobody said a word. Adriene looked in horror from one to the other. Linus stared down at her, then a cruel smile started to curl his lips.

“Alright, we have a deal. Get your friends.”

* * *

# The Wounded Coast

A single torch was the only light source in the cave, throwing flickering shadows over the damp ground where they threw her down. They had bound her hands behind her back, and as Adriene fell to the ground, she didn’t manage to catch herself, falling hard onto her shoulder. Her pained groan was swallowed by the gag and the faint sound of waves in the background. The air tasted salty and sent cold shivers over Adriene’s skin. From the looks of it, it was an old smuggler’s hideout. There were still some crates and the odd piece of furniture standing in the darkness, dark lamps and frayed ropes lying about. The other mages had stayed in one of the first rooms they had entered, but Linus had taken Adriene further in, followed by the mage who had initiated the whole thing.

She was standing next to Linus with a sneer on her face. Her eyes were cold and nearly black in the darkness of the cave. Crossing her arms before her chest, she cocked her head, eyeing her for a few moments. “Let’s take the gag out,” she then said. “I want to hear her screams.”

“Don’t you think you can have her for yourself,” Linus growled. “That was not the deal. She is mine.”

The woman waved a dismissive hand. “Sure, sure. You can do whatever you want with her — once I got to kill her sister.” Her eyes were hard as she looked at Adriene. “I have a plan, but I need her until the morning. Her sister is powerful, and I need to prepare in case she doesn’t come alone as instructed. I’ll keep this one alive for you, though. And when her sister comes for her, I’ll have my revenge. Afterwards, you can keep this one as a pet for all I care. Just like we agreed.”

An ugly, greedy smile curled Linus’ lips. “I can live with that,” he said with a dark chuckle. “Can I watch until then?”

The mage shrugged. “Be my guest. Now bind her to that wall ring.”

Linus gave the mage a sharp look, but she only shrugged with a smile.

“It was my idea, after all. Plus, I thought you like handling her.”

With an undefined grunt, Linus bent down and grabbed Adriene’s arm hard as he pulled her into a sitting position. Then he loosened her bonds to pull her arms over her head, fastening the rope to an iron wall ring protruding from the rock before he took her gag out. Adriene took a few deep breaths, grateful for the fresh air before she shot the mage a dark look. 

Adriene's voice was raspy but threatening as she spat, "If you lift a finger against my sis—"

She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as Linus backhanded her, and her head collided sharply with the wall as she was thrown to the side. Her head reeled and she could taste blood everywhere in her mouth, but all she could think of was that these people wanted to kill Cassia, wanted to bait her out. With a pained groan, she tried to find her footing, but she didn't even make it to a kneeling position before a kick to the stomach brought her back down again.

“That’s for always talking back, bitch,” Linus growled.

Again, she was left gasping for air, coughing up a bit of blood. Her whole body throbbed with pain, and she was pretty sure that some of her earlier wounds had opened again. A face appeared before her, a cruel smile plastered onto her lips. The woman dipped a finger into the trickle of blood that came out of her mouth and looked at it.

"Ah, the things we're going to have fun with. Just you wait," she smiled coldly, rubbing thumb and forefinger together. “I have waited so long for my revenge, I have _suffered_ for it, and now, finally I am going to get it.”

Adriene was curled into herself as much as possible with her hands bound to the wall, trying to breathe through the pain. Now, the mage grabbed her hair, pulling sharply at it so Adriene had to look up at her with a strained gasp.

"Do you know who I am?" the mage asked with a deceptively sweet voice.

Adriene stared at her, blinking a few times until she could properly focus. The face was familiar somehow. It took her a moment to place her, then she said, "You're… I saw you in the Gallows." Yes. She remembered the disdainful looks she had gotten from her without really knowing why.

"Indeed," the woman said, pulling out a knife and holding it to Adriene's neck with a casualness that made her go cold. Adriene froze. Behind the mage, Linus crossed his arms with a frown, but he made no move to stop her. "The Gallows. You know, we thought Starkhaven was bad,” the mage continued, and Adriene’s eyes widened as she realized who was before her. “The confinement, the occasional solitary cell. But we managed to get away. Until we came across Kirkwall's borders and the templars caught up. Still, we held our own. But then your _sister_ came and made us go to the Circle here."

Adriene swallowed as the knife was slowly drawn across her skin. So far, it did not break the skin, but that could change any second, she was sure. 

"You're Grace," she said hoarsely. Cassia had told her about what had happened a few years ago, about the blood mage who had attacked, about how the templars had closed in on them, and how she had tried to avoid more bloodshed. But as far as she remembered, Grace had tried to stop the blood mage as well. It looked like she had now become one herself.

A pained hiss fell from her lips when the woman made a shallow cut just beneath her collarbone, a sharp pain shooting through her. Grace bared her teeth at her, unfathomed by the pain she was inflicting. Fury distorted her face.

"Yes, I’m Grace. I trusted your sister when she said this was the best way. Your sister, a mage herself, told us that this was to prevent us all from dying. Your _sister_ made us go into the Kirkwall Circle!” Another cut. Adriene could feel a trickle of blood run down her side. “And it was not until we arrived here that we realized how bad a Circle can actually be." Again, the knife cut into her, and Adriene clenched her teeth, biting back a whimper as she stared at Grace. 

"I am so—," she started but stopped immediately when the knife was back at her throat, pressing deep enough to hurt. 

"Don’t you dare!" Grace screamed, her face distorted in fury.

“Hey!” Linus barked from behind.

For a horrible second, Adriene was sure she would die then and there, but after a tense moment, the pressure eased. She let out a shaky breath.

"Remember Emeric? The one bringing us in?" Grace asked, going back to casually drawing the knife across her skin, inflicting more and more of those shallow, burning cuts, and Adriene nodded, ignoring the burning pain they left. "He was a good man. Tried to protect his wards. Actually wanted to help us. But he couldn’t be there all the time. And then he was dead.” Suddenly, the knife stopped, and Grace leaned forward, bringing her mouth close to Adriene’s ear and whispered as if she imparted a great secret, “He wasn't there when one of the guards took a fancy in me. Or the girl in the next cell."

Adriene felt cold, blinking against the stinging of tears in her eyes. She knew about the things that happened in the Gallows, more than she liked she did. And again, she felt helpless, like she wasn't doing enough.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and Grace pulled back and stared down at her, unblinking, as if her eyes could burn through her, strip away everything but the truth. Adriene held her gaze, willing her to see that she meant it.

For a moment, she thought she had gotten through to her. But then Grace's face distorted into a mask of hatred, and she slammed her hand onto Adriene's skin where she had cut her.

"No, you're not," Grace hissed. "You're not sorry. You think you are, but you aren't. But you will be." Adriene desperately tore at the restraints around her wrists, to no avail. Grace’s fingers clawed into her skin. "You will be sorry, and once I’m done with you, your sister will be sorry, too.”

The next second, Adriene's world exploded in a red haze of agony. It felt as if the very life was ripped out of her as dark tendrils of magic raced through her body, carried by her bloodstream into every fiber of her being. She screamed, her body arching up from the ground in painful spasms.

The pain stopped as abruptly as it had started, and she collapsed back onto the ground. Her breath was more like sobs as she tried to stay conscious.

Grace staggered back from her, her eyes wide as she stared from her blood-smeared palm to Adriene. Her breath came in sharp gasps, and suddenly, the ozone smell of magic filled the air, leaking in dark, red tendrils from Grace. The templar uncrossed his arms and looked sharply at Grace, his hand falling to his sword.

“What in the—” he murmured, but Grace didn’t pay him any attention.

“What _are_ you?” she gasped, a full-body shudder running through her.

Adriene was still too occupied with staying conscious to be able to grasp what Grace was asking. But the next second, the blood mage was back, kneeling above her with wide, mad eyes.

“Your blood,” she murmured, her tongue darting out to lick over her lips as she put her hand out over the bleeding wounds. Her fingers were shaking. “Maker, your blood, it’s so… powerful.”

Something seemed to _pull_ at Adriene, drawing a fine mist of blood out of her wounds and into Grace’s hand, and she groaned, trying to get away from the mage. Grace let out a breath that sounded nearly like a moan, and Adriene’s eyes widened as she saw her throw her head back in ecstasy.

“Oh…” Grace breathed, “Oh, this is glorious.”

A peal of mad laughter bubbled up, echoing through the cave, then Grace’s hands were back on her, her magic racing through Adriene’s body, and she started screaming again. It felt like something was ripped out of her, tearing her very being apart, and soon, there were no screams left, no air in her lungs. Adriene’s pulse was a dark, loud drum in her ears and her eyes rolled back as she was overwhelmed by the magic.

It was a shock when it stopped.

With a dull thud, Grace fell to the side as Linus pushed her off Adriene with a snarl on his lips. “You’re killing her!” he growled. “You promised you’ll keep her alive! Now look at her!”

The voices became quieter and quieter, barely audible behind the stumbling beating of her heart, her consciousness flickering as her lungs refused to fill.

_Thud thud thud. Thud thud. Thud._

Then it stopped. 

A soft breath escaped her, and Adriene became utterly still, her thoughts a vague flutter at the edge of reality.

Nothing.

  
  


A sharp, glaring hot lightning bolt shocked her back into her body, and Adriene gasped, every muscle cramping painfully.

Her heart beat again, painfully so, as if it wanted to race out of her chest. A cracked groan fell from her lips as she tried to grasp what was happening to her. A futile endeavor.

“You’re losing her again!” Linus.

“So what, I got what I wanted.” Dismissive, blood red and icy, tendrils of pain. A woman? Grace.

“I didn’t!” The sound of footsteps. Anger, hot and fiery, bright, burning. “You will keep her alive!”

“Ugh. Fine.” Muttering of words, hard and crystalline power given shape, creeping up on her, trapping her in the bloody pain that was her body.

In the beginning, she had sworn herself not to beg or to cry. Not to let them see her weak.

It turned out, she wasn’t strong enough to keep that oath.

“Please,” Adriene whispered. “Please stop. Please.”

Something ran down her face, and Adriene no longer knew if it was blood or tears. Or a finger. Or a knife. In the worst moments, she conjured Cassia’s image in front of her eyes, holding on as fast as she could to their connection. She couldn’t let go, not now. Cassia was coming for her, she knew it. She just needed to hold on. 

Grace took it slowly after this, drinking deep from the power that was apparently in her blood, taking just enough to make her scream, but not enough to kill her.

Eventually, Linus stopped her. When Grace went out to check on the scouts, he knelt down next to her. Carefully wiping the blood from Adriene’s face, he murmured, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.” His hand wandered over her neck, caressing her skin and then, closing around her throat. When he saw her eyes widen in horror as he started to choke her, he smiled contentedly.

“And then, when you’re back to full health, you’ll be properly thankful.”

He pressed a kiss onto her lips, then he let go of her, chuckling as she gasped for air. Standing over her, he said, “Don’t forget, bitch. I saved your life. So it’s mine now.”

“They’re coming,” Grace said in a crystalline, hard voice from the entrance to the cave. A gleeful hatred was in her eyes as she looked at Adriene. “Bring her out.”

* * *

# Alain

“Please don’t die, please don’t die, please don’t die…”

It was a strange murmur at the edge of her consciousness that brought her back. Adriene blinked, then groaned as even the tiniest motion sent a burst of red pain through her body. She felt magic flicker through her, and for a second, she started to panic. But it was not the sharp-edged blades of darkness that Grace had used. Instead, it was a weak stutter of soothing light, akin to Bethany’s healing magic.

_Healing…_

Immediately, Adriene relaxed, closing her eyes again, ready to sink back into unconsciousness.

“No, don’t, please, stay awake!”

The flow of magic surged once, then it stopped, and someone next to her panted. “Shit.”

Adriene forced her eyes open again, blinking into the twilight in the cave. “Who…” she whispered.

Slowly, a face came into focus. Soft features and kind, fearful eyes under a blood-crusted mess of dark hair. One of the mages, she realized. He looked at her with sorrow in his eyes, pressing one hand to his stomach.

“I’m Alain. And I am so sorry. I didn’t know what she had planned. I didn’t know…”

Adriene tried to breathe through the dull beat of pain in her body. “I’m… Adriene,” she eventually managed. Every word was a struggle. “I… thought… we were… done… for.”

Alain chuckled, then pressed his lips together with a suppressed groan of pain. “So did I.” Wiping a hand over his face, he said, “They certainly tried. When your sister didn’t kill us all, the templars took to it. But I guess they hurried too much. Didn’t run me quite through. I lay still when they dragged her out.”

“She’s… alive?” Adriene brought forth, tears of relief in her eyes.

Alain nodded.

She bit back a sob. At least Cassia had made it out. At least one of them. Then a dark thought came to her. “What about… the templar?”

“Which one?” Alain asked. “The one with Grace?”

She just nodded, her fingers starting to tremble at the thought of him being near Cassia.

“He’s dead,” Alain said. “I don’t think there’s much of him left. Same with Grace”

Adriene closed her eyes again, a deep breath leaving her. Thank the Maker.

The next second, her companion shook her, a hint of panic to his voice. “No, don’t! Stay with me, please!”

She hissed in pain at the sudden movement and forced her eyes open again. “I’m… not going… anywhere,” she murmured.

“Good,” he breathed. The look of sorrow was back on his face. “I swear, I didn’t know that she wanted to kill you. I thought she’d trade you for our freedom! I just wanted to go home. I just wanted to go home…” He suppressed a wet sob, then he took a deep breath. Again, he stuck his hand out over her body, his fingers alight with the soft light of healing magic. “I don’t have much left,” he murmured. “But I’m going to try nonetheless.”

Another soothing burst of magic ran through her, and Adriene could feel a few of the cuts start to close. But it was not much, and very quickly, Alain stopped again, sinking back against the wall. Sweat dotted his face, and his copper skin had taken a greenish hue.

“Maker, I’m sorry. I stopped the bleeding, but… I just… I’m not powerful enough,” he panted.

With an effort, Adriene moved her arm towards him until she could take his hand. She was lying on her back next to him, the sand around her dark with blood. Apart from her and Alain’s labored breathing, everything was deadly silent. From the corner of her eye, she could see the motionless forms of various people lying on the ground.

“It’s not your fault,” she whispered. “You didn’t do this.”

He shook his head, sniffling wetly. “No. But I trusted Grace. I should’ve known better.” Again, he wiped his hand over his face, then he cleared his throat. “But you’re not dead yet. I might be drained, but we’re still here. And soon, I’ll have some magic again, and then, I’ll heal you more. It just… It could take a while. But we can do this. You and I.”

It was a bad lie, and Adriene knew it. She had seen too many people die from various injuries to have some illusion that she could live long enough for his magic to come back in full — if it came back in full at all, with his injury. This was borrowed time at best. A deep sorrow went through her at the thought. So many things left undone. So many words left unsaid. Maybe if they had done something different… brought more mages out or killed Oswald after all, maybe they could have prevented this. All of this.

At least she wasn’t alone. Here, at the end of it all.

“Alright,” she murmured, giving him a weak smile. “You and I.”

The look they shared spoke of the truth hovering between them, of the death lingering in the shadows of the cave just waiting to claim them both.

Closing her fingers a bit more tightly around Alain’s, she said, “Tell me something about yourself, Alain. While we wait for… your magic to come back.”

And so he told her. Of how his magic surfaced when he was six, how scared he was when they took him away. Of the long weeks of tears, and learning, and calming down.

In turn, Adriene spoke of their long flight through Ferelden when Cassia’s magic surfaced, then Bethany’s. Of their home in Lothering, and the years of peace and vigilance and fear.

Alain told her of Starkhaven and the templars’ strict but calm rule. Of their escape when the fire broke out, and he had followed a foolish dream of freedom, taken in by Decimus and his charisma. He had quickly regretted following him, terrified of his use of blood magic.

Adriene told him of the Blight and their escape to Kirkwall, of their desperate try to find a home despite the Circle here, to find the rest of their family. And their struggle to stay hidden. Of her mother’s death.

Alain told her of their arrival in Kirkwall when every dream of peace and freedom he had ever dared to dream fell to pieces.

“Templar’s name is Karras,” Alain said tonelessly. “He told me he’d make me tranquil if I ever told anyone that he comes to my cell.”

Silence fell between them, and Adriene pressed his hand. There was a weight lying on her chest that got heavier with every minute, making it hard to breathe. Her time was coming to an end, she felt it in the numbness of her fingers. But she didn’t want to tell him about it.

“They… deserve to die. All of them,” she murmured.

Alain shrugged half-heartedly. “I was lucky,” he said. “Others _were_ made tranquil. I’d rather be dead than tranquil.” A dry chuckle. “Well, I’ll have _that_ wish fulfilled soon.”

Adriene let out a soft breath, then forced in another. It took so much effort to keep going… so much.

“You should’ve kept your strength for yourself,” she whispered. “Not wasted it on me.”

Alain shook his head tiredly. “Nonsense. You’re fighting for us, right? That’s more important than me.” He looked at her with a weak smile. “That’s the horrible irony of it all, isn’t it? You’re the actual mage underground. If Grace hadn’t been so focused on her revenge, she might have had her freedom.” 

“No,” Adriene confessed softly. “She’s a blood mage. We don’t… Not… like that.”

Alain sighed, then nodded. “I should’ve known.”

“But someone like you?” she added. “Yes.”

Alain wiped his eyes. “A friend of mine was brought out by you. Or. Not _you_ you. But I never saw her again, so I guess it worked.”

Her eyes closed without her meaning to, and Alain pressed her hand to the point of pain. “Hey! No dozing off, you promised!”

“Sorry…” she whispered, forcing them open again. Trying to gather the meaning in the last words Alain had said, she tried to focus. Someone… was brought out?

“What’s… her… name?” she asked.

“Chiara,” he said, sending another wisp of magic into her. Still not enough.

Adriene’s thoughts were getting unfocused, whisking through the air like fireflies. It took her too long to remember what was going on. She was so very tired… “Chiara…” she repeated. Something in the name tugged at her, and she smiled as her eyes fell close again. “Rivain. I think we brought her back… to… Rivain.”

Rivaini. _Isabela._ She had come back. Adriene smiled again as she saw her in front of her, that wink that promised… something. Something warm and soft. Glowing in the darkness, like Fenris’ tattoos. Like Anders’ magic. Cassia.

Another sharp pain went through her and shocked her back. Alain knelt next to her, a look of pain and panic in his eyes. “You promised! Please, don’t go.”

“So… tired…” Adriene slurred, her eyes falling close again. Softness in the dark, promising, beckoning her. They were all waiting for her, she was sure. All she had to do was go to them.

Alain cried. Why did he cry?

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed, “I’m so sorry. I never wanted to do blood magic, but I don’t know what else I can do. Please don’t die.”

The copper, warm smell of fresh blood, and the murmur of dark red power taking shape around her, then there was nothing. 


End file.
